One Step Closer
by whatarushh
Summary: “I’ve seen the heart of darkness. Let’s just say, I crossed over that line.” set immediately after episode 10, A Death in the Family.
1. Good Guys Don't Always Wear White

a/n: hello fellow Castle lovers! just a few quick words...

this is my first fanfic ever. be gentle?

all chapter titles, as well as the story title, are names of Bon Jovi songs. the lyrics are worth googling. ;]

be aware of spoilers for all of season 1.

disclaimer: all i own is the rabid plot bunny.

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Chapter 1 – Good Guys Don't Always Wear White

Kate Beckett was lying on her couch, her eyes staring unseeingly at the room in front of her. She was still wearing her coat and heels; she had assumed this position the moment she entered her apartment and had scarcely moved since, other than to grab wildly for the tissue box on the coffee table. Slowly, a tear ran down her face, dripping over her nose and glancing off her opposite cheek before landing on the couch cushion.

The previous few hours – god, Kate didn't even want to think about them. But of course, when you tell yourself not to think about something, that's the first thing your mind lands on. So, despite her best efforts, she found herself dwelling endlessly on her conversation with Castle in the hospital hallway. _"It's about your mother._" Words that were currently haunting even the deepest corner of her thoughts. Kate remembered his deathly serious face, his sad eyes, his lips forming the words that would change her life forever. She remembered feeling her stomach come to rest somewhere around her toes, the feeling of her heart pounding in her throat, the tears welling up in her eyes. She remembered saying things – angry, hateful things – and leaving. Just running away. Even in her semi-numb state, Kate winced inwardly. If there was anything in the world she hated, it was showing weakness. Yet she had run, straight to her car, to her apartment, where she promptly collapsed on the couch in a fit of sobs.

Kate felt like she'd been through a war. Everything was in pain. Her head was throbbing with unanswered questions, both about her mother and about Castle. Her heart hurt for the same two people. She missed her mother desperately and, as much as she hated to admit it, was absolutely devastated that Castle would do the one thing she specifically (and emotionally, no less) asked him not to do. Even her body hurt, for some odd reason. She felt small, stepped on, broken. Heavy.

Night began to fall. The room slowly darkened, but Kate made no effort to get up and turn on a light. She was determined not to think and, more importantly, not to feel. So she remained motionless in a fetal position, dully cursing the fact that her insides simply ached.

A knock at the door jolted Kate out of her reverie. She slowly stood up and shuffled to the door, expecting to see a neighbor through the peephole. But who she saw instead snapped her back to reality. She quickly kicked off her shoes and wrestled herself out of her coat, attempting to rid her face of any tear residue and puffiness while at the same time reaching for the light switch. When she thought she looked presentable (and not like she'd been moping in her outerwear for a number of hours), she took a deep breath and opened the door.

"Martha, hi," Kate said, trying her hardest not to appear upset.

Martha looked at her and smiled sadly. "Hello, dear. Is this a bad time?"

"No, no, please come in." She gestured into her apartment.

"Thank you, I'll only be a moment."

She stepped inside, and Kate closed the door behind her. "Can I get you anything? Glass of wine?"

"For the first time in my life, I think I have to turn down that offer. But thank you," Martha said.

"Oh, okay." Kate was somewhat taken aback; she'd never seen this serious side of Castle's mother. Granted, they had only met several times, but she had assumed that the outspoken, gesticulating, oddball side to her was the only one that existed. "Here, sit down." She led Martha over to the couch. When the other woman's back was turned, she surreptitiously tried to kick some crumpled, tearstained tissues under the couch. "What can I do for you?" she asked, sitting down next to her.

"Well," Martha said slowly, rotating herself slightly to look Kate more directly in the face, "I'm sure this is the last thing you want to hear, but I wanted to talk to you about my son."

Kate did her best to keep her expression blank, though she really wanted to scowl darkly. She limited herself to a small nod. Martha, however, saw Kate's expression change as soon as Rick was mentioned. "Now, for the record, I am absolutely on your side."

Kate's eyebrows almost disappeared into her hairline. "Really?"

Martha chuckled at her expression. "Oh yes! Your past is your own business, and he had no right to go exploring it unless he had gotten your permission."

Before Kate had time to react, however, Martha continued. "But I feel there's something you need to know." Kate looked at her, expecting the worst. "He did it because he cares."

A moment passed; Kate wasn't sure how to respond. "Because he cares?"

Martha nodded. "Yes, probably too much for his own good." Looking over at Kate, whose brow was slightly furrowed, she realized she needed to explain. "He'd had the file for some time now. Brought it home rather late one night after the two of you wrapped up that … missing person case, I believe."

"The night I told him," Kate said, more to herself than to Martha, trying to put the pieces together.

Martha continued. "He didn't do much of anything with it until recently, when he asked the help of a friend of his, who happens to be a rather fabulous forensic pathologist." She glanced at Kate. "He was very determined to find something," she said, making sure that Kate understood.

Kate nodded silently. "He did mention that he has resources," she said, needing her to continue.

"By the time I found out, it was too late; the man had already left with the file. There was nothing I could do to stop the process at that point, but I told him to either drop it or tell you what he was doing. He, of course, didn't see the need. Said something about this being different than snooping around in your underwear drawer."

"Because that would be selfish snooping," Kate said, before she realized she was saying anything. She cringed, and made a mental note to practice turning off 'Detective Beckett' when she left the precinct.

Martha nodded. "Precisely. Anyway, the next I heard of it was after Richard had found out…" she trailed off, unwilling to explicitly state the unsavory information. Kate secretly appreciated it. Martha paused for a beat, but continued. "Honestly, Kate, I've never seen him so upset."

Kate was speechless. Despite herself, she felt her heartbeat quicken slightly. "Really?" she said quietly.

"Really," Martha confirmed. "I mean, the man's gone through a number of flopped books and two divorces, but this really hurt him deep down. To know such a horrible thing, to know what knowing it would do to you…" she trailed off again. "I told him that he simply had to tell you, but I saw that he already knew what must be done. And trust me, Kate, it devastated him to think that you might end your partnership and hate him forever."

Kate was extremely touched. Feeling tears begin to prick her eyes, she said, "Yet he still told me."

"He respects you too much not to," Martha answered softly.

The two women sat in silence for a few moments as Kate attempted to collect her thoughts. Her head was spinning, but things were starting to make sense. She heard Castle's voice in her head, as clear as if he was sitting on the couch next to her.

"_I'm touched that you thought of me."_

"_You'll have nothing to be embarrassed about. __She's going to be really smart. Very savvy. Haunting good looks. Really good at her job..."_

"_I can't shoot him from down here!"  
"Yeah, well he can't shoot you either!"_

"_Oh, funny! And a smile, good!"_

"…_But if you need me, call. Even if it's just to talk."_

"_That's what makes you extraordinary."_

Kate's heart was back in her throat. Could it be possible that Rick Castle had feelings for her? Real, honest-to-God feelings? She smiled wryly to herself. Men do not tell any woman that she's extraordinary just to get her into bed. But that's what Castle had called her: extraordinary. The most she'd ever gotten from Will was a "babe, you're awesome," or a "my cell will be on if there's an emergency." Never a heartfelt confession, a glimmer of concern for her wellbeing; even cops like to be worried about once in awhile. Not only was Castle concerned, he would let her make fun of him if it meant she would crack a smile.

She took a deep breath and turned to Martha. "Thank you so much for telling me this."

Martha smiled. "It's the least I could do, dear. My son does noble things so rarely, I couldn't let this one go unnoticed." She stood up. "I should get going."

Kate stood too, and followed her to the door. Martha stopped and turned around. "I don't know if you told him not to come back to the precinct, but…Alexis and I will be out all afternoon tomorrow. Do with that what you wish."

Kate smiled. This woman was sharper than she'd thought. "Thanks, that's helpful."

Martha gave her a knowing wink and stepped into the hallway. Kate closed the door behind her, feeling equally as conflicted as she had earlier, but significantly uplifted. She now knew what she had to do.

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hope you enjoyed! 2 more chapters are coming soon! =]


	2. Maybe Someday

a/n: thank you sooo much to everyone that reviewed! =D

the plot bunny for this story was born almost fully formed ... EXCEPT for this chapter. i actually had to sit and think about this one. but i think it turned out okay, let me know what you think.

oh, one more thing ... i don't have a criminal mind. so i have no idea what happened to Beckett's mom. hence why it's never explicitly mentioned ;]. and i'm assuming "tomorrow" is Saturday, and that Beckett has Saturdays off. gotta love creative liberty!

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Chapter 2 – Maybe Someday

Rick Castle was lying on his couch, face up, staring morosely at the ceiling. His back was bothering him from being in the same position for so long, but he didn't get a pillow to try and ease the discomfort. He figured he deserved to feel pain, monstrous pain, to account for all the damage he'd done. He closed his eyes and draped one arm over his face, wondering how he could've screwed everything up so badly.

Today was probably one of the worst he'd ever spent on the face of the earth. Discovering such a horrible fact and then having to disclose it to a person he cares about as much as anyone else in the world? Terrible. Knowing that this person would never forgive him for doing so? More terrible. Knowing that this fact would destroy her? Simply horrifying.

In the midst of his wallowing, Rick realized that he hadn't been this upset in a great number of years. Writing a book that didn't sell wasn't fun, but it couldn't compare to this emotional pain. And neither of his divorces had come close, either. With Meredith, it was a case of every-little-boy-wants-to-marry-his-mother, ala some bizarre Freudian concept. She was crazy, loud, and theatrical, much like the woman that had loved him and cared for him for his entire life. So he decided to marry her; the fact that she was beautiful (and great in bed) was certainly a plus. But unfortunately, she was also like his mother in the fact that she couldn't settle down. Rick woke up one day to find her packing for LA. Two weeks later, the divorce papers came in the mail. They'd been having problems for a number of months, though, so it wasn't entirely unexpected, as ego bruising as it was. As for Gina, Rick sometimes still wondered why he'd ever married her in the first place. Yes, she was strong and beautiful, but she was also power hungry and conniving. They had been hot and heavy for a few weeks, and got hitched on a whim. Within a few months things had crumbled completely, and again Rick found himself on the receiving end of divorce papers. Strike two. He supposed that if he'd truly loved either of his wives, the after-effects of a divorce would feel something like the crushing sadness he felt now.

This thought triggered something in Rick's mind. Love. Did he love Kate Beckett? He paused. Well, she's gorgeous, that's a no-brainer. She's smart, almost intimidatingly so. She did her job better than any other detective in the city (or the world, as far as Rick was concerned). He smiled slightly, though, when he realized that she didn't use any of that to her advantage, remaining humble and willing to question herself. He continued making his mental list; she played off of his sense of humor…sometimes. She was beginning to appreciate his ideas and trust his instincts, trust him in general. But what got him most about Kate was her serious nature. She smiled so rarely, which greatly upset him. Knowing what was truly troubling her was heart wrenching, and he was willing to do just about anything to get even the slightest bit of happiness out of her. Luckily, he found himself not having to try too hard; he realized quickly that she found him rather amusing when he was just being himself. Beneath the crook of his elbow, Rick smiled, remembering the time they'd spent together. That smile slid off of his face like water, however, when it hit him that that time might have come to an end because of his idiocy.

"Geez Dad, if this is what love looks like, I never want to experience it."

Rick moved his arm away from his head and saw Alexis standing at the end of the couch. He patted the cushion next to his stomach, and she came over and sat down. "I wish I could give you a straight response, pumpkin, but I'm kind of confused about that myself."

Alexis noted the sadness in his eyes. "Well, are the feelings mutual?"

Rick looked back up at the ceiling. "You're smart, I was hoping you would know the answer to that one." He blinked, and looked back at his daughter. "Wait a minute, how do you know who I'm talking about?"

Chuckling, Alexis answered, "Come on, dad. You said it yourself, I'm smart." Rick smiled. "Besides," she continued, "it'd take a complete moron not to see it."

Sighing sadly, Rick returned his gaze to the ceiling. A moment passed in silence before Alexis spoke again. "What did you do?"

"I betrayed her trust," he said simply. "She trusted me with something that she holds very dear to her heart, and I violated that."

"How?"

Rick again looked at his daughter. "This may be too late, but it's not my business to say."

Alexis was silent for a few seconds. She'd never seen her dad so dejected, but greatly respected him for learning from his mistake so quickly. "Don't worry, dad. Everything will work itself out in the end."

"I sure hope so."

Alexis leaned down and kissed his cheek. "I know it will. Detective Beckett isn't an idiot."

Rick sighed. "But I am."

A rustling of keys was heard at the door, and Martha entered. Rick was somewhat startled. She must've gone out while he was lost in his own mind. "Hello, mother," he said apathetically. "What have you been up to on this fine, fine evening?" Sarcasm dripped from every syllable, a fact that was not lost on Martha.

She rolled her eyes. "A friend was having a party," she lied easily. "I thought I should make an appearance."

As she walked past the couch, Rick subconsciously breathed in. Noticing something, he sat up suddenly. "Wait a minute," he said suspiciously. "You don't smell like alcohol." He winced, having tweaked his back with the quick movement. He grit his teeth, silently asking the universe to punish him some more.

Martha stopped and turned to look at him. "What are you talking about?"

"Come on, mother, it's a party. And to you, a party is not a party without a martini in your hand." He paused. "Come to think of it, to you a day is not a day without a martini in your hand." Alexis laughed, hastily hiding it behind her hand.

Martha looked at Rick accusingly. "That is not true. I don't think you have enough faith in me!"

"Do I have any reason to?"

"I'm your mother, it should go without saying."

"Alright. You win," Rick said, not really caring enough about this to argue. He stood up quickly, trying to elicit another twinge from his back. There was a slight throb, and then nothing. This frustrated him. "I'm going to see if I can squeeze a chapter out of myself."

"You know, dad, you might just want to go to bed," Alexis offered, rising to her feet as well. "It's been a long day."

Rick shook his head. "Trying to sleep right now would be completely futile."

Alexis wrapped her arms around his waist in a tight hug. "Okay," she said, her voice muffled by his chest, "but try not to stress too much?"

Placing a kiss on his daughter's head, Rick consented. "I'll try. Goodnight, kiddo."

Alexis pulled away. "'Night, dad," she said, with a final concerned glance in her father's direction.

Rick watched her retreating back sadly. "I don't know, mother. You say I don't have enough faith in you, but I think Alexis has too much in me."

Martha rolled her eyes. "Shut up. So you made a mistake! It doesn't make you a terrible person!"

"Oh, but it does." He planted a kiss on his mother's cheek. "See you in the morning."

Martha turned to go. "Oh, by the way," she said over her shoulder, "Alexis and I are going out tomorrow afternoon."

Rick was puzzled. "To do what?"

She waved her hand airily back at him. "Girl stuff!"

"Oh. Okay," he said, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. He started off towards his office.

Martha had climbed the stairs. She stopped at Alexis's room and knocked on the door. Alexis poked her head out.

"We're going out tomorrow afternoon," she said.

It was Alexis's turn to be confused. "Okay. How come?"

Martha winked at her. "You should be able to see when we get back." She continued down the hallway.

"Wait, gram!" Alexis called suddenly, beginning to put two and two together. Martha turned around. "Who were you really with tonight?"

"Nobody," she said.

Alexis raised her eyebrows. "Does this 'nobody' have anything to do with this mysterious outing tomorrow?"

"You know," Martha said, chuckling, "sometimes I wonder where you got your brains from."

Alexis grinned and shut her door. Leaning against it, she wondered if her dad had any idea what he was in for.

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the third and final chapter is on its way!


	3. Someday Just Might Be Tonight

a/n: ta-daaaaa, the final installment! for some reason, this site isn't letting me edit this chapter -.- … i have to keep re-uploading the document from Word to make changes. so please excuse my lack of "horizontal rulers." but i digress. the ending is a little fluffy, but is that really a bad thing? ;] i hope you all had as much fun with this story as i did, and again, HUGE thanks to all reviewers!!

Chapter 3 – Someday Just Might Be Tonight

The next day, Rick sat at his desk staring at the blank computer screen in front of him. His mother and Alexis had left already, and he felt quite alone. The cursor blinked tauntingly at him, daring him to start writing. He, however, was lost in his feelings. His mind was blank; he wasn't thinking of anything in particular, yet his emotions flowed seamlessly from guilty, to sad, to angry at himself, and back.

He jumped slightly when his phone rang. He picked it up from the desk and promptly almost dropped it out of shock when he saw the name on the screen.

Glowing slightly, it read "Detective Beckett."

Rick's heart was pounding. Swallowing hard, he answered the call with a tentative "hey."

"Hi," she replied softly, rather awkwardly. "Um. Are you free?"

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, I'm free," he said, slightly breathless and barely able to hear himself over the blood pounding in his ears.

"Would you … mind if I came over?"

"Not at all."

"Okay." He could hear the slight relief in her voice. "I'll … uh … I'll be right there."

Rick smiled slightly. "Okay. I'll be waiting."

As he hung up, he glanced around the room, as if expecting someone to jump out and yell, "April fools!" When nobody did, he slowly stood up and closed his laptop. He could scarcely believe what had happened. Coming to terms with the fact that the phone call had indeed been real, he walked briskly to the living room to wait with bated breath for Kate to arrive.

After 20 long, painful minutes, Rick heard a knock at the door. His heart nearly leapt out of his chest. Closing his eyes, he attempted to meditate for a second to calm himself down. He went to go let his guest in as his heart returned to a normal (under the circumstances) rate.

Pausing briefly, he pulled the door open. Kate stood there, arms crossed over her stomach and shoulders slightly shrugged. Rick thought she looked as nervous as he felt.

He offered a small smile. "Hi."

She returned it. "Hi."

"Come in," he said, opening the door wider. She stepped inside, and he closed the door behind her. "Can I take your coat?"

"Sure, thanks." He helped her out of it and reluctantly turned away from her to hang it up. Turning back to face her, he saw that she looked uncomfortable. Stifling his urge to put an arm around her shoulders, he gestured to the kitchen.

"Care for a drink? You can help yourself to anything we've got." He started walking to the fridge. Kate followed.

"Do you have Sprite?"

Rick was somewhat taken aback. "Yeah, we sure do." He rummaged around inside the fridge for a moment, pulled out a can and handed it to her.

She noticed the surprise in his voice. "Not expecting that?" she asked, the hint of a smile playing across her lips.

"No, not really," he answered. "Most people head straight for the alcohol."

"Ah," Kate said, "and I would've if I hadn't stopped drinking."

Rick was genuinely surprised. "You don't drink?"

"Nope," she said, opening the can of soda with a loud pop and sitting down at the counter.

"How come?"

"Family history." She took a sip. "I figure having a recovering alcoholic as a father is as good a reason as any to stay away from it."

Rick was genuinely impressed. After considering this for a moment, he returned to the fridge. Kate was surprised to see him emerge with his own can of Sprite. She looked at him curiously as he sat down next to her.

Noticing her look, he opened his can and held it out in a toast. "You never cease to amaze me."

She smiled shyly and looked away. They clinked cans, and a moment passed in silence as they drank.

As unwilling as he was to bring down the mood, Rick knew it was time to get to the business at hand. "So," he said slowly. "What's on your mind?"

Kate sighed. She hated admitting her fault, but she knew she had to. "I want to apologize," she said, concentrating very hard on the can in her hands.

Rick nearly choked on the breath he was taking. "You want to apologize?" he asked incredulously. "But I want to apologize!"

She smiled, and had the courage to look at him. "Thank you," she said sincerely. "But I reacted really badly."

He wondered what important fact he was missing. "But— I screwed up. Really, really bad. You were sort of supposed to flip out."

"Yeah. I mean, no. Sort of." At this, Kate turned her attention back to the can and remained silent for a few seconds. Rick let her collect her thoughts. Suddenly she turned to him. "This wasn't for your book, was it?" Martha had told her everything she knew, but Kate really needed to hear it from him.

His gaze softened. "Are you kidding?" he asked quietly. "Absolutely not."

"Okay," she said softly. "Then you did it for the right reason." She paused. "I think." She looked at him, waiting for him to confirm this.

"Well, I think I did." He sighed. "I was only trying to help," he said honestly.

"So I had no right to get mad about that."

"No," he said, rubbing a hand down his face, "you had every right to get mad at everything."

Kate shook her head. "No, I didn't. The only thing I should've gotten mad about was the fact that you still went into the file even after I asked you not to."

"Which, by the way, I am so, so sorry about," he said.

She glanced at him shyly out of the corner of her eye. "Yeah, well, you did it because you care. That sort of cancels it out a little bit."

Rick let out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "I appreciate your forgiveness, detective," he said.

Kate smiled. "Well, my mind was kind of clouded. You reopened a can of worms I was perfectly fine with never going back to, and rather violently at that. But I'm a big girl, I can admit my mistakes." He smiled. "But," she said, pointing at him, "I will take back my forgiveness if you drop the case now. Because now that I'm reminded of it, and know…what we know, I won't be able to just let it go." She faltered as the memory of the new information came flooding back.

Rick saw her demeanor change. He reached out and squeezed her hand. "Don't worry. I'll do everything in my power to find who did it."

She glanced at him. "You're not going to ask me to work on it with you?"

"Well, no. Wouldn't that suck you right back to the place you were before? I wouldn't want that year of therapy to have been in vain."

She gave him a small smile. "Yeah, it would. I'm just surprised you thought of it."

"Hey, I think a lot more than you think I do!"

Kate chuckled. Rick grinned, giddy that she forgave him and ecstatic that he could still make her laugh. However, he noticed that she still looked upset. "Hey," he said softly. She looked at him, her eyes filling with tears. He gently rubbed her back. "It's gonna be okay." She nodded, but leaned her head on his shoulder. He removed his hand from her back and wrapped it around her shoulders, letting his head rest on hers. He felt as though all of his senses were heightened. Feeling the tickle of her hair on his neck, feeling the warmth of her breath on his shoulder, smelling the delicate vanilla scent of her shampoo, he came to a conclusion; he was, indeed, very much in love.

The front door opened and, startled, the two broke apart. Alexis and Martha entered, laden down with shopping bags. Martha smiled slightly when she saw the pair in the kitchen, and continued up to her room to deposit her new purchases.

Alexis, however, walked over to the kitchen. "Detective Beckett, hi!"

Kate smiled. "Hi Alexis. Please, call me Kate."

The girl smiled. "Okay, Kate. How are things going?" she asked, glancing at her dad.

Rick raised his eyebrows and caught Kate's eye. She looked back at Alexis. "Good," she said with a smile. "Everything's good."

Alexis looked back at Rick, eyes sparkling. "I'm glad to hear that. Sorry to interrupt, I'll leave you two alone now."

As she hurried off towards the stairs, Martha was descending them. "Hello kids," she said happily. "Don't mind me, I just need to get myself a drink." She grabbed a bottle of wine and a glass from the cupboard and was gone as quickly as she'd come. However, she winked at Kate over her shoulder. A wink that was not lost on Rick.

As soon as she was out of earshot, he burst out. "Oh my God, she called you, didn't she?!"

"Nope," Kate said, muffling her words in a sip of Sprite. He looked at her skeptically. "Well, she didn't call…"

Rick's mouth formed a small 'o' as he realized what had happened. Kate laughed at his expression. "Runtime error?" she joked.

He chuckled. "I can't believe her sometimes." Kate began to feel defensive, and opened her mouth to retaliate. But before she could speak, he did. "Remind me to thank her."

Kate felt like an idiot. Smiling, she took another sip of soda.

Something suddenly dawned on Rick. "Hey," he said, "how come Alexis can call you Kate, but I'm not allowed to?"

She looked at him. "I never said you're not allowed to call me Kate."

He paused, bow furrowed. He racked his memory for a moment, trying to find the conversation in which she reprimanded him for using her first name. He was astounded when he realized it didn't exist. "Huh," he said absentmindedly. "You're right."

Kate raised an eyebrow. "So much for being good with details, huh, Castle?"

He laughed. "Hey, if I can call you Kate, I have to insist that you call me Rick."

She rolled her eyes, but was secretly pleased. "Fine, Rick."

He smiled. "Much better."

A few moments passed in amiable silence. Kate noticed that Rick had his phone out. "What are you doing?" she asked, leaning over to peek at the screen. He was in his contacts folder. She was confused when she saw him go to edit her contact information. Her confusion, however, turned to happiness when she saw him erasing "Detective Beckett" and re-labeling it as "Kate."

Yet again, she smiled shyly, hiding her embarrassment in a mouthful of soda. Rick noticed this, and held back a smile. Alexis was right; everything was going to work out just fine.

xxxx

Kate hadn't planned on staying with Rick for the entire day; it just sort of happened. They eventually migrated to the couch, empty Sprite cans scattered on the coffee table. They spoke of mostly trivial things, carefully avoiding the touchy subject of her mother's case. But she was entirely okay with that. There would be time for the heavy stuff. For now, they were just enjoying their rejuvenated friendship, and whatever else that was there. Honestly, she couldn't remember the last time she'd had this much fun…or been on the giving (as well as receiving) end of so much flirting.

Finally, as the sun was setting, Kate stood up. "Alright, I think I'm going to get going. I've taken advantage of your hospitality long enough."

Rick stood up too. "Are you sure? You're welcome to stay for dinner."

She smiled. "Thanks, but I'll take a rain check. I didn't get the greatest sleep last night, tonight's going to be an early one for me."

"Ah, quite understandable." As he went to retrieve her coat, Rick silently hoped that she was awake last night not because she was upset, but because she was nervous about talking to him. He took the coat off the hook and helped her into it. Kate noticed his hands linger on her shoulders for a second longer than they should have.

"Can I ask you a question?" Kate got goosebumps on the back of her neck as Rick's breath tickled her ear.

She turned around to look at him. "Shoot."

"Who did you go on that date with?"

She was caught off guard. "What?"

"You know, after the kidnapping case."

"Oh, that one," Kate said, chuckling.

"That one?" Rick said incredulously. "How many have you been on since?"

"My dad," Kate answered, still smiling. "I went out to dinner with my dad."

Rick paused, then laughed. "Playing hard to get, Kate? Very nice, very nice."

"I don't play hard to get, Rick. I just am." Smiling devilishly, she took a step forward so they were almost nose-to-nose. "You up for the challenge?"

Rick grinned equally as devilishly, eyes twinkling. "Bring it on!"

FIN.


End file.
